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Conference rusure::math

Title:	Mathematics at DEC

Moderator:	RUSURE::EDP

Created:	Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2083
Total number of notes:	14613

1983.0. "Lat/Long To UTM, Terminal Velocity And Ballooning!" by KAOFS::LOCKYER () Fri Jul 14 1995 14:15

    Well, I'm not a mathematician (never was, never will be), but it looks
    to me that there're lots in here, and I can't find any help in other
    more directly related conferences, so here goes:
    
    When I'm not working for DEC, I fly hot air balloons.  My newest
    ballooning toy is a GPS and I'd like to hook it up to my PC and write
    some software to help during balloon competitions.  What I have in mind
    is a program to track target locations, my current location, collect
    wind speed, elevation and direction information, and calculate the
    optimum time to drop a marker based on altitude, speed and wind
    direction.  So I hooked up the GPS to my PC and I can see data coming
    from the GPS just like it's supposed to.  Now for the math problem...
    
    All the postion data from the GPS is in longitude and latitude but
    I want it in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid.  So, the
    question is, does anyone know how to convert lat and long to UTM?
    
    And while I'm here, I also want to calculate how long a marker
    (a marker has a weighted end weighing about 70 grams and a tail about
    10 cm. wide and 170 cm. long) will take to fall to the ground depending
    upon the altitude (actually elevation or height above ground) it's 
    released at.  Any opinions and formula on when it will reach terminal 
    velocity and what that velocity would be?
    
    Hope the above isn't too boring.  Complete formulas would be VERY MUCH
    appreciated, but pointers to reading material are welcome too!
    
    Regards,
    
    Garry

T.R Title User Personal
Name Date Lines

1983.1 what is utm? also try physics. RANGER::BRADLEY Chuck Bradley Fri Jul 14 1995 15:10 19

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1983.1	what is utm? also try physics.	RANGER::BRADLEY	Chuck Bradley	`Fri Jul 14 1995 15:10`	19
	you will probably have to help us help you. what is UTM? the mercator projection preserves distances along the equator, and the distance above the equator on the map is proportional to the tangent of the latitude. it the utm is equal sized squares on a flat mercator projection map, we need some idea of the scale and the origin. for the time of descent and terminal velocity problems, look in the physics conference. i think it has been discussed there. here we will give you formulas that work on the moon or jupiter, with symbolic coefficients and some assumptions about the nature of friction. there, they might have numbers and units. some of the noters here also participate there, but the most help is probably there. don't be surprised if some offer to help you perform a series of experiments to measure the unknown coefficients.

you will probably have to help us help you.
what is UTM?  
the mercator projection preserves distances along the equator,
and the distance above the equator on the map is proportional
to the tangent of the latitude.
it the utm is equal sized squares on a flat mercator projection map,
we need some idea of the scale and the origin.

for the time of descent and terminal velocity problems,
look in the physics conference.  i think it has been discussed there.
here we will give you formulas that work on the moon or jupiter,
with symbolic coefficients and some assumptions about the nature of
friction.  there, they might have numbers and units.

some of the noters here also participate there, but the most help
is probably there.  don't be surprised if some offer to help you 
perform a series of experiments to measure the unknown coefficients.